Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. Located in the Ottawa Valley, the city lies in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario on the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

The city of Ottawa has a population of 812,129, making it the fourth-largest municipality in the country and second-largest in Ontario.

Ottawa is home to a wealth of culture. The area is home to many renowned landmarks, notable institutions, national museums, official residences, government buildings, memorials and heritage structures.

Amongst the city's national museums and galleries is the National Gallery of Canada designed by famous architect Moshe Safdie, it is a permanent home to the Maman statue. The Canadian War Museum houses over 500,000 collection pieces and was moved to an expanded facility in 2005. The Canadian Museum of Nature was built in 1905, and over went a major renovation from 2004–2010. The city is also home to the Canada Agriculture Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Billings Estate Museum, Bytown Museum, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Canadian Ski Museum, Currency Museum, and the Portrait Gallery of Canada.

Since 1969, Ottawa has been the home of the National Arts Centre, a major performing arts venue that houses four stages and is home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Lyra Ottawa.

Also in the National Capital Region across the river in Gatineau is the most visited museum in Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Designed by Canadian aboriginal architect Douglas Cardinal, the complex also houses the Canadian Children's Museum and the Canadian Postal Museum.

Federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by the Public Works Canada, while most of the federal lands in the Region are managed by the National Capital Commission or NCC; its control of much undeveloped land gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.

In 2006, the National Capital Commission completed work on the long-discussed Confederation Boulevard, a ceremonial route linking key attractions in National Capital Region, on both sides of the Ottawa River, in Ottawa as well as Gatineau, Quebec.

The Ottawa skyline has remained conservative in skyscraper height throughout the years due to a skyscraper height restriction. First installed to keep Parliament Hill visible from most parts of the City, that initial restriction was changed to a more realistic law many years later. The restriction allows no building to overwhelm the skyline, keeping almost all the downtown building around the same 25–30 story range. Other cities with building height restrictions like Ottawa's include Washington, D.C., USA, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Saint Petersburg, Russia, amongst others.

In 2010, Ottawa's Festival industry received the distinguished IFEA World Festival and Event City Award for the category of North American cities with a population between 500,000 and 1,000,000. Ottawa is home to a number of festivals, special events and fairs that enhance and animate all the community has to offer. The industry is represented by Ottawa Festivals, a not-for-profit organization that works closely with the City of Ottawa and other partners to deliver services that help strengthen and sustain the festival industry.

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